Love Letters {to Nola food}

Feb 17, 2015

Unfortunately, Texas is somewhat lacking in the king cake and cajun food department, so we won't be able to celebrate this lovely holiday in true form.

We did, however, enjoy a semi-authentic Mardi Gras parade in the Mckinney Square on Sunday.

I was quite impressed with the brass band leading the parade, and the dogs were rather excited about the excessive bones and beads that were thrown (and they didn't even have to flash anyone!)

Over the last few months, we've made quite a few trips to New Orleans to visit friends anddddd stuff our faces with the magic that is Nola food.

Of course, we also managed to squeeze in just a few alcoholic beverages here and there.

Because Texas has so graciously provided us with crawfish that is $12 per pound and jambalaya that I'm fairly certain had ketchup in it, we've had to learn the hard way that Louisiana food can not be duplicated.

In honor of the final day of Mardi Gras and this beautiful day of gluttony, I wanted to write a collective love note to the best food on the planet:

The food of New Orleans.

Thanks for making every other food in the world feel inadequate and stupid and worthless.

(No offense, Chickfila)

Here are some of our most recent favorite dishes and cocktails of New Orleans:

Elizabeth's praline bacon.

Would it be too bold to say that you may just be the best thing I have ever put in my mouth?

Beignets.

Starting off #datpiperwedding with these fluffy pillows of heaven was quite magical.

. . . but Elizabeth's.

I'm still not over that place.

Sweet potato and duck hash on top of a cornbread waffle with pepper jelly

Liz's bridesmaid luncheon at the greatest happy hour spot in all of New Orleans, The Columns.

Sometimes, I still have dreams about this shrimp pastry.

This Satsumosa (satsuma mimosa, duh) at Dante's Kitchen.

I think this drink just kicked the cutie-mosa off of it's throne in my mimosa hierarchy.

All things King Cake.

We tried Sucre's king cake, their king cake macaron, anddd their king cake tart (filled with cinnamon cheesecake, bread pudding, and chantilly cream and topped with a sweet baby Jesus)

All of which were exceptional, in case you were wondering or thought otherwise.

Brunch at Katie's.

This crawfish beignet.

The cheese!

Oh, the cheese.

Although I didn't order this for my meal, I snagged a bite or ten from Elizabeth's.

I truly think about it weekly.

Cowbell's cocktails were really great BUT THEIR MAC AND CHEESE.

It's not pictured because we literally inhaled it as soon as we set eyes on it.

Literally, literally, literally.

In other excellent New Orleans mac and cheese news, we also fell in love with the mac of Rue 127.

Thanks to some badass family style skills, we nearly tried everything on the menu.

Thank goodness.

At the time, their cocktail menu consisted of drinks appropriately named after Presidents.

The

I'm mildly ashamed to even include this on the list, but it's kind of understood if you have ever survived past midnight in New Orleans.

F&M's cheese fries.

That one late night "drunchie" that everyone craves, but you are pretty certain would taste like garbage if you at it sober.

Side note: Ellie, my sister who is a junior at Tulane in New Orleans, taught me the word drunchie.

Definition: drunk munchie

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, use this word in my every day vocabulary.

These three and their abilities to not order the same thing, share, and try everything are the cure to the awful, sickening disease of menu anxiety.

Thank heavens for them.

FYI: 99% of the restaurants/bars on this list (with the exception of F&M's) were recommended by our local tour guides and our best friends, Elizabeth and Jason Piper.